Merchants displayed their wares under tarpaulins outside their shops, and women examined bolts of cloth or haggled over ornaments, jewellery and leather goods. Many of the nobles watched Blade pass with narrow eyes, but while his garb hinted at his profession, it did not reveal it sufficiently to evoke any spitting or rude comments.
Blade was more at home when he reached the narrow, filthy back alleys in which he had spent so much of his life. Beggars rattled tin cups at passers-by, and pickpockets moved amongst the pedestrians with busy hands. Men stepped from his path with furtive glances, while harridans nudged their fellows and cast him knowing looks. A few thin horses pulled rickety carts, and rising damp stained the white-washed buildings. The stench of garbage mingled with the sickly scent of incense and stale ale. Drunkards lay in the gutter or slumped in doorways, their pockets doubtless picked clean.
Raucous singing emanated from taprooms, and housewives threw buckets of slops into the gutter. Urchins picked through the garbage and fought with dogs for scraps of bread. Threading his way through the whores and beggars, Blade headed for a familiar building tucked away in a dead end street. He entered a dingy taproom populated by a few drunken men and several dishevelled harlots. Rough-hewn tables and benches cluttered the soot-stained taproom, and mildewed rushes covered the floor. A glance into the darkest corners ascertained that the one he sought was not there, and he gripped the arm of a passing trollop. She leered up at him, but he ignored her gap-toothed invitation.
"Where's Lilu?" he asked, using the common speech.
Her smile vanished. "Her again! She's in the back, but she's busy. I'm not though."
He pushed her away. "I can see why."
The whore cursed him vilely as he walked away, heading for the dirty curtain that separated the rooms at the back from the taproom. Making his way to Lilu's room, he became aware, as he neared it, of the thuds and shrieks coming from within. Not caring if he interrupted her client, he thrust open the sagging door and walked in.
Lilu knelt before a brawny man, whose hand gripped her tangled brown hair. Blade stopped and eyed them, and at the sight of him Lilu cried, "Blade! Help me! He's trying to kill me!"
The man shook her. "Liar! I want my money back, you filthy whore! You stole from me!"
Lilu wailed, "Help me, Blade!"
The assassin stepped back, leant against the wall and folded his arms. "If you stole from the man, give it back."
"I can't! I don't have it any more!"
The man growled and slapped her. "You'd better find it, you damned whore!"
Lilu clutched her torn dress and wailed again, clawing at the big man's beefy hands. "Let me go, you bastard! Don't you know what he is?"
The man glanced at Blade, but the assassin spread his hands and shrugged. His throat was covered, so no outward token of his trade showed. He recognised the man as a local armourer, a towering giant covered with muscles earned from years spent at the forge. He had no intention of tangling with such a brute.
"I'll not interfere," he assured the armourer.
"Damn you, Blade!" Lilu shrieked. "You owe me!"
"Be quiet, bitch!" the armourer roared, dragging her towards the lumpy, rumpled bed. "I'll take it out of your hide until you give me back my money!"
"No!" Lilu grabbed at passing furniture, but could not wriggle free of his painful hold. "He'll kill you! He's my friend!"
Blade's brows rose a fraction at this assertion, but Lilu's threats did not seem to worry the man, who snarled, "That little runt won't lift a finger to help you, trollop!"
Lilu grabbed a candle-holder and beat the man about the head with it. He yanked it from her grasp and flung it across the room, narrowly missing the assassin. Lilu's beating further enraged the man, who pinned her to the bed and slapped her. She clawed at his eyes, making him roar with pain, then kicked him in the shins. He grabbed her throat and throttled her.
"Blade!" she squeaked, "He's killing me!"
He frowned. "Why don't you two sort this out in a decent manner? Whatever she stole from you, she can pay back in kind."
The man turned his head to glare at the assassin. "Twenty goldens! She'll be on her back for the next three years."
Blade shrugged. "I'm sure you'll require her services."
"I have to pay my rent!"
The assassin sighed. "Don't you have any money, Lilu?"
"No!" she growled, glowering at him. "Just get rid of him, don't waste your time talking."
"It seems that he's in the right, if you stole his money."
"He won't get it back if he kills me!"
The man squeezed, silencing her, and banged her head against the headboard. "I want my money now!"
"She can't give it to you if she hasn't got it," Blade pointed out.
"You stay out of this!" the armourer roared.
"I'm only trying to help."
"Why don't you get lost, you little fop?"
Blade shook his head. "I need to speak to Lilu."
The armourer straightened, his bloodshot eyes glaring. "Bugger off!"
"No."
The man swung with a roar, releasing the hapless harlot, and charged Blade. The assassin stepped aside, and the armourer buried his fist in the wooden wall where Blade's head had been an instant before. The giant's hand was trapped in the broken timbers, and he struggled to pull it out. Lilu coughed and rubbed her throat, sitting up.
"Kill him, Blade! I'll pay you!"
He shot her an angry glance. "You don't have any money."
The armourer jerked his hand free and swung on the assassin again, bearing down on him like a charging bear. Blade stepped aside and headed for the door, unwilling to become embroiled in a fight. The man lunged at him, grabbed Blade's shoulder and spun him around with a powerful jerk. The assassin stumbled, lost his footing and fell backwards into the narrow hall, where he landed with a grunt, banging his head on the wall. The armourer came after him, raising a boot to stamp on his belly. Blade rolled away and leapt to his feet, heading for the taproom.
"Come back here, you coward!" the man bellowed, following.
Lithe as a cat, Blade turned and jumped up to grab the lintel of the taproom door, jerked up his legs and smashed his boots into the armourer's face. The big man reeled back, blood spurting from his nose. Blade trotted into the taproom, making good his escape. The armourer, however, was made of sterner stuff, and his head from solid bone it seemed, for within seconds he came after the fleeing assassin. Blade vaulted a table just ahead of his pursuer, and the men in the taproom, seeing a fight, shouted and blocked the exit.
Blade turned to face his attacker, glancing about for a way out of the situation. The armourer swung a punch, which, had it connected, might have ripped Blade's head off. The assassin ducked and dived for the door, but two bystanders caught him and flung him back. He cursed as he almost fell into his foe's grasping hands, twisting aside to roll under a table. The armourer kicked the table out of the way, and one of its legs caught the assassin a glancing blow on the temple.
Stars flashed in his eyes, and he glimpsed Lilu's grinning face amongst the crowd, shouting encouragement with the rest. At least, if nothing else, she seemed to be on his side. A beefy arm snaked around his neck and dragged him to his feet, choking. He rammed an elbow into his opponent's ribs, making him grunt, but he hung on. Gripping the man's arm, Blade heaved him over his shoulder, breaking his grip as the armourer crashed onto his back, splintering a table. Blade headed for the door, but the man leapt up and charged after him, unaffected by his fall.
The assassin found several men blocking his way and turned, dodging the giant's charge. The armourer hooked his fingers into Blade's collar, the only place he could gain purchase. Blade was spun around with tremendous force and smashed into the wall, turning his head at the last moment to save his nose. Again stars sparkled in his eyes, and he became aware of his danger just as the big man lunged at him, trying to crush him against the wall. With an agile twist, he sprang away, leaping onto a table. The armourer swung around with a growl and rushed at him, smashing the table aside like a child's toy. Blade, balanced atop it, lost his footing and was forced to dive through the window.